paper collage – Jen Boes

January 21, 2016

Cards and remembering

Ran out of cards to send, and decided that 9 degree weather was a great time to do some collaging and sewing. I relaxed while I combined handmade paper, fused plastic bags, and scraps of hand-dyed and hand-painted fabrics left over from other projects. Even though it is snowy outside, these cards remind me of hints of spring and maybe a snowy beautiful beach.

my second favorite of the bunch – I love the purple fabric with the circles

The cards ended up in two colorways, one with neutrals and blue, and one with pops of green.

neutrals with blue – the center one in the bottom row is probably my favorite

greenish neutrals with citron

One of our neighbors passed away last week. The Muellers have lived on our street since we moved in twenty-some years ago. We would take our daughters when they were young and trek up their long driveway to trick-or-treat on Halloween (and pet their dogs). We will miss Neil; remembering and praying for Charlene as I made these cards.

October 21, 2014

More subtle celtic crosses?

I still love to work small! I needed more cards that were “quieter” so I started with all creamy colors, but quickly graduated to this warm palette. Just love the turquoise with the golds and grays.

collage circles and falling leaves

… collage circles with sewing accents

collage circles done so far…

and a couple of cards

February 6, 2014

a glimpse

One of the challenges of collaging is that as you build layer upon layer you need to continue, even if you cannot fully visualize where you are going, or you won’t get to an end result.

A little like life sometimes. Having the courage and faith to keep going is where we live out most of life’s moments… enjoying and savoring and straining with each step… and sometimes catching a glimpse of the finished product.

The free motion quilting here didn’t feel relaxed or free until the sixth one! But, thankfully it was mostly free flowing before the gray stitching which transforms each one into a whimsical vignette.

January 28, 2014

Serenity

Serenity. Elusive when aiming outside of your comfort zone.

An artist friend suggested just getting into the studio and doing something. Sew something. Sift through raw materials. Feel your fabric.

I’m trying to work BIGGER. And yet, the rhythm of larger scale is elusive.

So, for myself, just for now, I’m creating SMALLER. For fun. Just to use my hands, cut paper, maybe fabric, a word here, or there. Or entire dictionary pages.

And, its delightful. Had to share it simply because I have such a big smile on my face. And, tomorrow is soon enough to pick myself back up, and aim for BIG again.

January 22, 2014

Tangible moments

As I’ve been cleaning the studio, I’ve been enjoying unearthing scattered remnants of creative projects: dresses, duvet covers, pillow covers, altered skirts, vintage recycled throws, and more. Tangible, visible, colorful, all bring joy to my heart.

While I love fabric, sometimes paper with the words and memories is fun too. In the midst of cleaning, I’ve been collaging and sewing paper for cards.

I find the process of cutting, pasting, cutting some more, and then combining a relaxing process. I’m always tickled when you get lively results and then sometimes the serendipitous flow of mood you weren’t quite expecting. Its hovering near zero degrees and yet my design board looks like summer on the water!

December 6, 2013

Circles

I’m busy writing a paper, and it feels like my mind is going in circles (my paper editing certainly is!). For a short break I took out my collection of found papers to create a set of circles for making into celtic crosses for tags or cards. Was hoping for a casual sort of joyful – maybe nearly there, but definitely a bit scattered in terms of color theme!

However, the break was excellent.

June 16, 2012

Light

My paper journal is going slowly, but this is the second layer on a page in progress. Light shines through even when we don’t feel or see it. Times of contemplation center us in our faith.

February 5, 2012

More water

The original theme was water, but it needed a focal point I thought. Decided to do a rock (which looks more like an open tomb) as had just finished our Wisdom installation at church, and had images of doorways to wisdom anchored in rocks in my head. How can wisdom be solid and yet grow? I started with oil pastels – next time I will use watercolor pastels on top of water color! Still unfinished.

January 23, 2012